Spinning bucket



April-30,1940. T. L.' GATKE 2,199,197v

SPINNING BUCKET 2 sheets-sheet `1 Filed June 1o, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2T. L. 'GATKE SPINNING BUCKET Filed June l0, 1956 April 30, 1940.

Patented Apr. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,199,197 SPINNINGBUCKET Thomas L. Gatke, Chicago, Ill.

Application June 10,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus employed in the manufacture ofartificial silk or rayon, and, more particularly to spinning buckets orrotating boxes of such apparatus and the process 5 of manufacturing thesame.

One of the objects `of the invention is the provision of a new andimproved spinning bucket for use in the preparationof rayon orartificial silk.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improvedspinning bucket having incorporated within the side wall thereof orintegral therewith, circumferentially extending strands which resist theradial distortion of the side wall during the rapid rotation of thebucket.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a new and improvedprocess of manufacturing a spinning bucket and the selection andarrangement of the material in the manufacture'of the i0 l bucket. ..-g

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a new andimproved spinning bucket that is inexpensive to manufacture, efficientin operation, exceedingly well-built, well balanced. and with walls sostrongly reinforced that the bucket is capable of very high rotationalspeed, whereby the output of this type of mechanism -is very greatlyincreased.

Otherand further objects and advantages oi' the invention will appearfrom the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a vertical section of a mold for molding the bucket;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a completed bucket with parts in section andparts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a strip or cable used in the molding ofthe bucket and showing the same in helical form;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a modified form of the bucket;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a section of one of the split rings employed on the molding ofthe bucket, shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a further modified form of bucket made from endless ings;

Fig. 8 is one of the rings from which the bucket shown in Fig. 7 ismolded with parts broken away;

Fig. 9 is a cross section of a modified form of strip used in themolding of the buckets;

Fig. 10 is a cross section of a further modified form of strip which maybe used in the manufacture of a modified form of bucket; and Fig. 11 isan elevation of a further modified 1936, Serial No. 84,424

v(Cl. 57-76) form of strip used in the manufacture of a further modifiedform of bucket.

In the production of artificial silk or rayon by what is known as thewet process"=-that is, the process in which the filaments4 aredischarged into and are caused to pass through, aliquid setvtingsolution-the filament is conducted from the bath into a rapidly rotatingcontainer known as the spinning box orbucket and often referred to asthe Topham box. Since the bath contains l0 more or less acid, it isnecessary that this box or bucket be of a material not affected by theacid adhering to the filaments or yarn. Usually the buckets are madefrom artificial resin such as a phenolic condensation product,vulcanized rubber 16 or the like, and while the cohesive properties ofthese materials when molded, are fairly high, the speeds at which boxesor buckets made from this material alone may be safely rotated arelimited.

Attempts have been made to reinforce the walls m by plain metal wirewound around the exterior or in grooves in the exterior of the sidewalls, or by bands, wires, or the like, applied to the exterior orembedded in the-molded walls of the article in certain zones only, butthese expedients are 28 more or less objectionable in that thecomposition does not adhere sov well to smooth wire, and, hence, astrain on the wall, due to centrifugal force, is likely to disrupt thebond between the material and the smooth surface of the wire with 90-the result that the coils or wire are likely to crowd together and thewire become more or less slack, thereby permitting distortion of thewalls of the buckets. Furthermore, should one turn of a smooth wirebreak, the others would likelyl be- 1 come loose. Where plates or groupsof wires are in separate zones on the boxes, the walls are likely tobecome distorted non-uniformly between the reinforced zones with theresult that the bucket vwould become unbalanced and at high speeds 40such distorted portion would seriously interfere with the properoperation of the bucket.

The fact that these buckets are provided with apertures in their sideWalls for centrifuging the yarn or filaments and freeing it of acid as4it is 4B being wound, complicates the problem, because of thelikelihood of the escaping acid coming in contact with the metalreinforcing elements and causing their rapid deterioration.

The present invention :seeks to remedy these l0 difficulties by theprovision of new and improved spinning buckets with parts so arrangedthat the side walls of these buckets will have reinforcing elements ofsuch nature that not only does the material of the walls firmly adhereto those eletributed throughout the height of the buckets is provided.Furthermore, the walls are so constructed that the acid dischargedthrough the apertures therein will not come in contact with any metalparts, even in buckets where metal reinforcing members are employed.

In the construction of spinning buckets, lengths of elongated iiexiblematerial, preferably fabricated, are incorporated in the walls of themolded article. 'The filaments, fibers or strands of this materialextend circumferentially of the side walls of the buckets. This isconsidered an important feature of the invention because it insuresmaximum reinforcement of those walls.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings which illustrate oneembodiment of the inventio'n and a mold, shown more or lessdiagrammatically, for forming the bucket, the reference character I0designates the stock material from which the spinning buckets are made.This material is in the form of what for convenience of description willherein be termed strips, and in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 3,comprises a cable II having a core of twisted wire I2, around which isbraided a heavy covering or sheath of fibrous material I3. The strip isimpregnated with an acid resistant synthetic resin before being placedwithin the mold. This maybe accomplished in different ways, as forinstance, the individual strands of the strip are conducted throughmolten acid-resistant synthetic resin before being braided or twisted,and, if desired, the finished strip may then be conducted through themolten resin before being placed within the mold I4, or the strip may besaturated with the resin after itis finished.

The mold is shown more or less diagrammatically in Fig. 1 and comprisesa die block I5 including an outer member I6 and inner member I1 formingthe die cavity I8 and a plunger I9 movable in the cavity I8. The innermember I1 is hollow in order to provide a cavity or recess 2| forreceiving steam for heating the inner wall of the cavity .and the outerportion of the die block is provided with cavities 22 for receivingsteam for heating ,the outer wall of the die cavity.

'I'he completed article is shown in Fig. 2 and comprises a receptacle 20having a side wall 23, a bottom wall 24 and a hub portion 25. The hubportion is provided with a socket 26 for receiving the driving spindle,as is usual in such constructions. The side wall is provided with aplurality of apertures through which the acid adhering to the yarn isdischarged by centrifugal force.

The form or shape of the bucket may be of the usual or any well knownconstruction, and the cover not shown may be applied in the conventionalmanner. In molding the bucket shown in Fig. 2, the strip is placedwithin the mold, either in pre-wound form, as shown in Fig. 3, or thestrip coiled within the mold cavity while being inserted, but, in eithercase, it is in the form of a helix in the mold cavity. Synthetic resinis then added in the mold cavity in suitable amounts and the mass moldedin the usual, manner. If desired, the central portion of the bottom wallof the bucket which is not subjected to such great centrifugal force asthe sides of the bucket, may be, and preferably is, made from scraps andfrom synthetic resin 21 with or without reinforcing filaments, strandsor fibers.

If desired. cores, as pins 28, may be placed between the turns `of thestrip and removed after the molding operation for forming the apertures29 in the wall of the finished bucket or preferably these holes may bedrilled at these points after the bucket is molded. These apertures arelocated between the turns of the strip and, consequently, the metalreinforcing wires I2 will not be exposed to the acid that may bedischarged from the spun threads by the centrifugal forces during thespinning operation.

After the strip is placed in the mold, heat is applied for molding thesynthetic resin, and simultaneously pressure applied to the plunger I9,as is usual in molding operations. By this molding operation, theindividual turns of the strip'are caused to coalesce and form' a unitarystructure having smooth inner and' outer walls of synthetic resin. Afterthe openings 29 are drilled and the upper edge of the bucket is formedfor receiving the lid, the bucket is ready for use.

Instead of employing a single strip in the form of a helix, the bucketmay be made from a plurality of split rings 3|, each ring formed ofmaterial similar to that shown in Fig. 3 having a group of wires 32twisted together and covered by a sheath 33 of braided strands.

The ends of the ring 3I are spaced apart and a quantity of syntheticresin or other acid nonresistant material is inserted between the endsfor completing the ring. These rings are placed in the mold and occupy aposition similar to the helix as shown in Fig. 1.

The split portions of the rings are spaced apart circumferentially, asshown in Fig. 4, whereby the strength of the walls is reinforced to itsmaximum and at the same time maintains the bucket in a balanced relationrelative to its rotation. The openings 35 for the discharge of the acidare drilled through the sections 34 between the ends of the rings; Bymeans of this arrangement, the acid is prevented from coming in contactwith the metal reinforcing member 32.

The form of the construction shown in Figs. 7 and B'diers from thatshown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 in that individual endless rings 36 areemployed in the molding of the bucket. The rings are provided with thereinforcing member 31 and a sheath or covering 38 similar to that shownin Fig'. 3. The openings 39 for the discharge ofJ the acid are drilledthrough the spaces between the reinforcing. members 31 in a mannersimilar to that shown in Fig. 1.

Instead of using a cable, or a member substantially circular in crosssection for use in molding the bucket, the strip may be square, as shownin Fig. 9, with'a core of twisted or untwisted wires 4I covered withsuitable fibrous material 42, or it may be rectangular in cross section,as shown in Fig. 10.

If rectangular in cross section, a plurality of groups of wires 43,either twisted or untwisted, are covered by suitable fibrous material44, as shown in Fig. l0. Preferably, in all forms of the strip fromwhich the bucket is molded, the core is of twisted wires, and the coveris braided about the wires. By using twisted wires, the synthetic resinadheres more-firmly to the surface-that is, it takes a greater force todisengage the wires from the resin than would be the case withl straightwires. Furthermore, pound for pound, a twisted wire cable is muchstronger than a1 single wire and is at the same time, more flexible,thereby facilitating the braiding operation.

'I'he sheath or covering is preferably braided in order that all thebers forming the same will 75.

be arranged circumferentially of the molded bucket, thereby adding tothe strength of the cable or strip and affording a maximum of strengthagainst distortion during the rotation of the bucket.

The form of the strip shown in Fig. ll differs from that shown in Fig. 3in that the core 45, which may be a single wire or a cable of twistedwires, is covered with strands 46 of wire or fiber, which are woundrope-like about the core 45 and a sheath l1 of fibrous material braidedabout the same.

It will thus be seen that in all forms of the device, the receptacleportion of the bucket, or at least the side wall thereof .down beyondthe junction' of the side and bottom walls of the bucket, isformed fromstrips of reinforcing material extending circumferentially around thebucket and a binder of synthetic resin byl heat and pressure in amolding operation'which causes the parts to become a unitary structure;and that in the form of `construction employing groups of metallicstrands the walls are very greatly reinconstruction and operation of mydevice w`ill be apparent to those skilled in the art, and Ythat changesin size, shape, proportion and details of construction may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A spinning bucket comprising a molded receptacle having its side wallcomposed of acidresistant phenolic condensation composition havin con--nection with the accompanying drawings that the ing a group ofreinforcing metal strands twisted together and embedded in said wall andextending spirally throughout the height of the side wall-thereof, theturns of said groups of strands being spaced apart a sufficient distanceto provide for/apertures between said strands without exposing saidstrands.

-2. A spinning bucket comprising a molded receptacle having a side wallcomposed of a phenolic condensation product and groups of twistedmetallic strands embedded in the wall and comprising individual turnsspaced apart and arranged in parallel planes with the ends of each turnspaced. ashort distance apart forming gaps occupied by said product,said gaps being offset from each other to occupy different verticalplanes, said ,wall having apertures between the ends of some of saidgroups of metallic strands through which liquid is discharged bycentrifugal action during the normal operation of said bucket.

3. A spinning bucket comprising a molded receptacle having side wallslof Bakelite, a group b of endless strands of metal twisted together andsurrounding with braided fibrous material forming an endless stripextending spirally from top to bottom of the side wall of thereceptacle, the turns of l said strip being in contactand embeddedin-said Bakelite and forming an integral wall therewith, said wallhaving aciddischarging apertures between said groups of endless strands.

4. A spinning bucket for use in the productionA of rayon comprising amolded receptacle' having its side wall comprising acid-resistantsynthetic resin and a plurality of strips of reinforced ma- `terialembedded within said side wall, each of said strips being disposedconcentrically of said receptacle, said strips being in contact witheach other throughout the height of the side wall of said receptacle,said strips comprising strands of metal twisted together and having acovering or braided material, said Wall having apertures therethroughbetween the braided material of adjacent strands. i 'I'HOMAS L. GATKE.

